Basket.



WILLIAM .TAY THOMAS, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOANNIE S.

THOMAS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

BASKET.

No. 881,500. Specification of Application filed July 1, 1905, Serial No.267,975.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM J AY THoMAs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Baskets, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fruit baskets, and its object isto provide a knock down fruit basket with which the sides may bereinforced with overlapping ends cut upon a single blank and the meetingends of the reinforced side so interlocked that the handle or bail,covering the meeting ends, may be secured to thebasket sides by nails orrivets passing through the bail and through the alternate portions ofthe interlocking ends so that there can be no possible chance for thereinforcing sides to draw out -from under ,the bail, though the rivetsor nails are placed in a direct line in the center of the bail. I attainthis object by the con.- struction illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing in which Figure l is a plan of one form of blankfrom which thebasket is made; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a basket, and Fig. 3 is aplan of the blank from which a shield or clamp is made with which tocover the end of the bail, and which may be utilized for securing thebail to the basket, in lieu of the rivets or nails, if so desired.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

In the blank shown in Fig. 1, a a represent the sides of thebasket, andare integral with the bottom c, but severed from the reinforcing sides 5at the line'i and are designed to be bent up on the dotted lines 0L a',while the ends, h, are bent up on the lines c', thus forming the body ofthe basket, after which the reinforcing sides b are bent upon the linesh', h', &c so that the ends b and b will meet and interlock at the eXactlongitudinal center of the basket and in position to be wholly coveredby the ends of the bailj, as indicated in Fig. 2, in position so thatrivets or nails driven through the bail will pass through the openingsd, d securing the meeting ends of the reinforcing sides' and holdingthem firmly to place and,` by the overlapping or interlocking of theseends, greatly strengthen this portion of the sides, and renderin thesides much more substantial as a who e.

Letters latent. Patented March 10, 1908.

Renewed January 15, 1908. Serial No. 411,027.

The plate g, in Fig. 3, is designed to cover the ends of the bail at thesides of the basket, as indicated in Fig. 2, the slots c in thereinforcing sides b being in proper position to register with the slotse in the sides a so that the wing g on the plate g may be bent at rightangles with the plate and made to enter and pass through the registeringslots e e', and be therein secured, which may be done by using asubstantial metal plate g, and clamping the ends g firmly upon the innersurface of the sides of the basket. I prefer the use of metal for thispurpose as it is more flexible and better adapted to the purpose thanother material. The use of this plate, also, greatly reinforces thepoint of juncture between the ends b b under the ends of the bail andcontributes to prevent them from drawing apart by unusual strain at the.ends of the basket.

While theform of ends shown at 5 b are the most desirable for basketconstruction, I do not wish to restrict myself to this particular formas it is evident that there are several forms of overlapping orinterlocking the ends that would be available and would not depart fromthe spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

Inbasket construction, an integral blank cut to form the bottom, thesides, the ends, and reinforcing sides integral with the ends, themeeting ends of the reinforcing sides eX- tending by each other inalternate projections to form interlocking joints, a handle formed andplaced so that its ends will cover the interlocking joints at each sideof the basket, means for securing the ends of the handles to the sidesof the basket, and a metallic plate cut. and formed to cover each end ofthe handle and provided with lugs to pass through the sides of thebasket and bend closely against the inner surfaces thereof in positionto clamp the ends of the handle closely thereto, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

Signed at Grand Rapids, Michigan, June 27, 1905.

A. ALLGIER, ITHIEL J. CILLEY.

